China goes fishing for more undergraduates - in Egypt

China and Egypt have agreed to set up a university in Cairo with classes taught almost entirely in Chinese.

The Egyptian Chinese University (ECU), the first institute of its kind in the Middle East, is backed by northeast China's Liaoning University, which will provide curricula and accreditation.

The university's infrastructure projects will be the responsibility of Egypt's International Education Institution. At the signing ceremony Chinese ambassador Wu Sike said: "This agreement will further enrich relations between China and Egypt, which have witnessed steady development in political, economic, cultural and educational fields."

The first ECU undergraduates are expected to enrol in the 2006-07 academic year. Fewer than 1,000 students are expected in 2006.

China is an important economic ally for Egypt, as its fifth largest import partner. The establishment of the ECU is part of Egypt's attempt to encourage more direct foreign investment in the country.

Last October, the Chinese department at Cairo University said it would create more opportunities for Egyptian scholars to study in China. Chinese vice-education minister Zhang Xinsheng said that there were further plans to co-operate in higher education.